Quick reference guide for Markdown syntax with examples. Because even hackers need documentation.

Headers

# H1 Header
## H2 Header
### H3 Header
#### H4 Header
##### H5 Header
###### H6 Header

Text Formatting

**Bold text**
*Italic text*
***Bold and italic***
~~Strikethrough~~
`Inline code`

Bold text
Italic text
Bold and italic
Strikethrough
Inline code

Lists

Unordered Lists

- Item 1
- Item 2
  - Nested item
  - Another nested item
- Item 3
  • Item 1
  • Item 2
    • Nested item
    • Another nested item
  • Item 3

Ordered Lists

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
   1. Nested item
   2. Another nested item
  1. First item
  2. Second item
  3. Third item
    1. Nested item
    2. Another nested item
[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title text")
![Alt text](image.png)
![Alt text with title](image.png "Image title")

Code Blocks

Inline Code

Use backticks: code here

Code Blocks with Syntax Highlighting

```python
def exploit():
    print("Getting shell...")
    return shell
```

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "Pwned!"
```

def exploit():
    print("Getting shell...")
    return shell

#!/bin/bash
echo "Pwned!"

Blockquotes

> Single line quote
> 
> Multi-line quote
> continues here
> 
> > Nested quote

Single line quote

Multi-line quote continues here

Nested quote

Tables

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   | Cell 3   |
| Cell 4   | Cell 5   | Cell 6   |

| Left align | Center align | Right align |
|:-----------|:------------:|------------:|
| Left       | Center       | Right       |
Header 1 Header 2 Header 3
Cell 1 Cell 2 Cell 3
Cell 4 Cell 5 Cell 6
Left align Center align Right align
Left Center Right

Horizontal Rules

---
***
___

Task Lists

- [x] Recon phase complete
- [x] Exploit developed
- [ ] Get shell access
- [ ] Maintain persistence
- [ ] Exfiltrate data
  • Recon phase complete
  • Exploit developed
  • Get shell access
  • Maintain persistence
  • Exfiltrate data

Mermaid Diagrams

You can create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more with Mermaid:

Attack Flow Diagram

flowchart TD
    A[Reconnaissance] --> B{Target Found?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Vulnerability Scanning]
    B -->|No| A
    C --> D{Vulnerability Exists?}
    D -->|Yes| E[Exploit Development]
    D -->|No| C
    E --> F[Gain Access]
    F --> G[Privilege Escalation]
    G --> H[Maintain Persistence]
    H --> I[Mission Complete]
    
    style A fill:#00fff7,stroke:#00fff7,color:#000
    style I fill:#39ff14,stroke:#39ff14,color:#000
    style F fill:#ff003c,stroke:#ff003c,color:#fff

Network Topology

graph LR
    A[Attacker] -->|Phishing| B[User Workstation]
    B -->|Lateral Movement| C[Domain Controller]
    C -->|Admin Access| D[File Server]
    C -->|Admin Access| E[Database Server]
    D -->|Exfiltration| A
    E -->|Exfiltration| A
    
    style A fill:#ff003c,stroke:#ff003c,color:#fff
    style C fill:#00fff7,stroke:#00fff7,color:#000
    style D fill:#39ff14,stroke:#39ff14,color:#000
    style E fill:#39ff14,stroke:#39ff14,color:#000

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant A as Attacker
    participant T as Target Server
    participant DB as Database
    
    A->>T: Initial Recon
    T-->>A: Service Banner
    A->>T: Send Exploit
    T->>T: Execute Payload
    T-->>A: Reverse Shell
    A->>T: Enumerate System
    T-->>A: System Info
    A->>T: Query Database
    T->>DB: SQL Query
    DB-->>T: Sensitive Data
    T-->>A: Data Exfiltration
    
    Note over A,DB: Attack Complete

Escaping Characters

Use backslash to escape special characters:

\* Not italic \*
\# Not a header
\`Not code\`
\[Not a link\]

HTML in Markdown

You can also use HTML directly in Markdown:

<div style="color: #00fff7;">
  Custom styled text
</div>

<details>
  <summary>Click to expand</summary>
  Hidden content here
</details>
Click to expand Hidden content here - useful for long code snippets or detailed explanations!

Quick Tips

  1. Preview as you write - Most editors support live Markdown preview
  2. Use relative links for internal documentation
  3. Keep it simple - Markdown is meant to be readable as plain text
  4. Tables can be tricky - Use a generator if needed
  5. Mermaid diagrams - Great for documenting attack paths and architectures

Useful Resources

Pro tip: Most documentation platforms support Markdown. Master it once, use it everywhere - from GitHub README files to internal security documentation.